A Glimpse Of How Ganesh Chaturthi Is Celebrated Around India!
- Lifestyle
Bhanupriya Ramanathan- 1
- 12 minutes read
Ganesh Chaturthi is one of the most auspicious celebrations in India. It is known by various names around the country including Ganesha Chaturthi, Vinayaka Chaturthi, Vinayaka Chavithi, and Ganeshotsav. The festival is celebrated to honour Lord Ganesh’s birthday who is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati adorned with the head of an elephant.
Lord Ganesha is considered to be a symbol of prosperity, wisdom, and even good fortune. Therefore, people worship him all over India to attain his blessings and show their love for him. This article will thereby focus on how Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated around the country as people have been gearing up for Ganesh Chaturthi 2022 for so long and it is finally here. Moreover, the ‘Happy Ganesh Chaturthi’ wishes have been swirling up on everyone’s mobile phones with the majority of social media being filled with those.
Sneak Peek Into How Ganesh Chaturthi Is Celebrated In India
Ganesha Chaturthi generally has the same type of celebration across the nation, which includes the establishment of the lord’s idol in a pandal and its procession (known as Ganesh Visarjan). People bring the idol to their home with a lot of enthusiasm and while saying goodbye to him they do the same. However, while bidding adieu to one of the most loved gods, they do have tears in their eyes with the hope that he comes back to their house the very next year to bless them again. Now let’s have a tour of the various Indian cities and states and check how Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated there.
1. Maharashtra
When talking about the grand celebrations of Ganesh Chaturthi in India, Maharashtra has to surely top the list. The busiest city in the country and this state, Mumbai, is the highlight of all the cities in the state. People welcome Ganpati Bappa with loud chants saying Ganpati Bappa Morya, Mangal Murti Morya. They even use gulaal for the welcome of the idol. Around the city, huge pandals of Lord Ganesha are made where the divine idols are placed for 10 days. This rightly answers the question of how many days Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated.
During this time, people can visit the pandal to seek blessings and give chadhawa (offerings) to the god. In addition, they also offer bhog which comprises coconut, jaggery, and precisely 21 modaks. Modak is a sweet dumpling that is considered to be the most favourite dish of Lord Ganesha. In addition, there is no compromise on the decoration of Ganpati Bappa. On the 10th day, the idol procession also known as Ganesh Visarjan takes place while people chant Ganpati Bappa Morya, Urja Varshi Laukariya. The idols are then immersed in the Arabian Sea. In Maharashtra, outside Mumbai and other cities close to the sea, people decide to immerse the idols in nearby rivers or even their own garden pools.
In Pune, which is another major city in Maharashtra, one can see massive and gigantic celebrations on Ganesh Chaturthi. The cultural capital of the state hosts some of the best pujas on this occasion and the decoration of Ganpati idols is also worth watching. The traditional hymns and shlokas are recited as they should be and there is no limit to the level of devotion they have. They serve delicious and authentic food to the people who are engrossed in the celebrations. Even they offer modaks to the lord alongside sweets like laddoos. Both Mumbai and Pune are great locations for someone who wants to enjoy the beauty of this Indian festival.
2. Delhi
The Capital of India has to have a blend of all cultures and traditions on this festival as people from various sections of the society have settled here and the majority also worships Lord Ganesha. In the city, one can spot gigantic pandals of the idol that have been decorated in the most beautiful way ever. Moreover, to attain the blessings from Lord Ganesha, a number of people visit these pandals and even tourists don’t miss such an opportunity. Earlier, during the Covid-19 pandemic, there were a lot of restrictions on the same but Ganesh Chaturthi 2022 is expected to be celebrated in full swing.
Now, let’s have an insight into how Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in the city. If you are someone strolling down the streets of Delhi then you can also hear hymns or mantras from ancient Vedas and Upanishads on your way. It is a blissful experience and is one of the most loved aspects of Ganesh Chaturthi in the National Capital. In and around the pandal, people can be heard singing or dancing to the tunes of God, which is another sight not to miss. However, the Lord’s welcome is not as grand as in Maharashtra as the latter has its streets blocked by the processions, whereas in Delhi such a site is generally not witnessed.
3. Goa
Goa is a neighbour to Maharashtra and ought to have some influence from it, isn’t it? In the Union Territory of Goa, one can see great excitement in the residents celebrating Ganesh Chaturthi. People begin preparing for the festival by cleaning their houses and thereafter visiting their relatives and friends to wish them all good luck and prosperity. The ones who are not able to visit them personally often send messages stating ‘Happy Ganesh Chaturthi’. The two prominent places in Goa where Ganesha Chaturthi is celebrated are Marcel and Mapusa, which is due to a large number of temples present in these locations.
The decoration of idols in this region is a little different from others and has its own USP, which is a great thing. Devotees and even tourists (as Goa is a famous tourist spot) indulge in the celebrations and give their input to elevate it as much as they can. In addition, they also use a number of colourful gulaal to celebrate this auspicious occasion. On the other hand, tourists book the best hotels (mostly on a high budget) to enjoy the celebrations in Goa to the fullest. Moreover, the beaches in Goa are used for the immersion of idols after 10 days.
4. Karnataka
This southern state of India celebrates the festival in one of the most cultural, ritualistic, and traditional ways. This is because there are no such public processions while welcoming or bidding adieu to Lord Ganesha. The festival is celebrated in a much more sophisticated and calm yet grand way. If you ask how Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in Karnataka, the answer would be a little different than in the northern states. They start celebrating the festival right a day before Lord Ganesha’s actual birthday as they worship Goddess Gauri (Parvati) who is the mother of the elephant-headed god. This tradition is what makes the Karnataka celebrations a lot distinct from the rest of the states and cities in India.
The fact that the state doesn’t go over the top doesn’t deter the grandness of celebrations there. Huge pandals are constructed for welcoming the lord on his birthday. Famous south Indian sweets (most of which are variations of the ones served in the north) like modakam, gojju, and payasam are made with all love and devotion and offered to Lord Ganesha before being distributed to the pens who have come to seek his blessings. People in Karnataka worship both Lord Ganesha and Goddess Gauri thanking them for all the luck and prosperity in the state.
5. Tamil Nadu
People in Tamil Nadu celebrate Ganesh Chaturthi by visiting the various temples across the state in order to seek blessings from God during one of the most auspicious times of the year. The devotees perform several pujas and aartis with great zeal. Like other states on the list, it also hosts a number of huge pandals where some of the most beautiful sculpted idols of Lord Ganesha are established so that people can worship him and offer prayers.
Just like Karnataka, Tamil Nadu also celebrates the festival a day in advance as Gauri or Gowri Habba. It is due to the belief that Goddess Parvati should be worshipped first as without her our beloved Lord Ganesh would not have existed. Therefore, the idol of Gauri Ji is welcomed in the houses of the devotees before her son. Thereafter, the next day, Lord Ganesha is welcomed with extreme love and devotion. In this way, devotees aim at garnering blessings from both these deities. So, do you now understand how many days Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in South India? It is for 11 days, which also marks the number eleven that is considered to be lucky and holy.
Though we missed the celebrations in the Telugu states and cities, we would like to mention that Vinayaka Chavithi (as people in Andhra call it) is celebrated in full swing. The festivities are no less than in other parts of the country.
Happy Ganesh Chaturthi!
Ganesh Chaturthi 2022 is here and we wish the best for everyone who respects the culture and is celebrating the festival. We hope that all the festivities will be carried out smoothly during the coming 10 days of the festival. Don’t forget to worship our elephant-headed deity with all your love and devotion. And yes! Do enjoy the celebrations to the fullest if you are in one of the above-mentioned regions of India. The ones who are abroad can improvise a bit, which we would admire. Do share your experience during these auspicious days and also comment on our article on how Ganesh Chaturthi is celebrated in India as we do value our readers’ responses a lot.
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